Sunday, February 24, 2008

Westminster Succession


The Muniment Room has the latest Paddy Power book on the Westminster succession, the Archbishop of Birmingham is still no 1, but the Abbot of Puscarden has got into no 2.


Rt Rev Vincent Nichols 2-1 (7-2)
Dom Hugh Gilbert 4-1
Rt Rev Kevin McDonald 6-1 (5-1) (7-2)
Rt Rev Alan Hopes 6-1 (11-2)
Fr Timothy Radcliffe 6-1 (10-1) (6-1)
Bishop William Kenney 8-1 (15-2) (6-1)
Cardinal Pell 12-1 (10-1)
Fr Aidan Nichols 12-1 (11-1) (5-1) (6-1)
Rt Rev Arthur Roche 12-1 (10-1) (12-1)
Rt Rev Peter Smith 12-1
Archbishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald 14-1 (12-1) (10-1) (12-1)
Rt Rev Patrick Kelly 14-1 (12-1) (10-1) (12-1)
Rt Rev Bernard Longley 14-1 (12-1)
Rt Rev Michael Evans 20-1 (16-1)
Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue 20-1 (16-1)
Bishop George Stack 20-1 (16-1)
Fr Christopher Jamison 20-1
Bishop John Rawsthorne 25-1 (20-1)
Bishop John Patrick Crowley Non-runner (33-1)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Last year I attended a Lenten talk given by one of the 'runners.'

He suggested that he was in favour of churches looking less like churches and more like shops. A shop front would encourage people to enter seemed to be what he was saying. Needless to say I was horrified and hoped he was joking.

Happily the candidate is way down the list!

Dr. Peter H. Wright said...

The bookmakers seem so sure of themselves, don't they ?

Of course, one can't take their "book" too seriously.

Some of the longer odds are downright silly.

But would Rome really pluck the Abbot of Pluscarden from his monastery and send him to Westminster ?

For his sake, I hope they don't.

If Rome were seriously considering the Archbishop of Birmingham (and they may well be,) why has he not yet been offered Westminster ?

It certainly was the tradition in the old days that a senior metropolitan would be translated to Westminster, but I think the appointment of the Abbot of Ampleforth broke the mould.

Instead, the Cardinal was asked to stay on after he turned 75 in August 2007.

This suggests the lack of an obvious successor.

Unlike the bookmakers, I would say the field is still wide open.

Anonymous said...

Well anything from Birmingham's got to be good!

Anonymous said...

Whatever the merits of the bishop who wants Churches to look like shops, on a far more serious note, anyone with verifiable information which suggetss a would-be candidate is unsuitable, has a serious responsibilty to delate that person to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome.

Anonymous said...

What a relief to see that the three stooges, Disastrous Declanfrom Clifton and his mates from Portsmouth and Plymouth are not even on the list...

Simon Platt said...

I wonder why anyone pays attention to this nonsense!

I call it nonsense not least because odds are given even for our own bishop of Lancaster, who is due to retire shortly.

This is not in any way to deprecate Bishop O'Donoghue - whose many years' experience as a bishop in Westminster Archdiocese would surely stand him in good stead, and who has recently been justly lauded for "Fit for mission: Schools" - but just to point out the evident stupidity of the suggestion that announcing retirement could be considered a precursor for promotion, even at odds of 20:1.

Perhaps, after having decried all this as nonsense unworthy of attention, I should now practice what I preach.

Brendan Allen said...

In this weekend's "Irish Catholic", there's a story that Paddy Powers got "stung" over the appointment of the new Bishop of Down and Connor. It says that they were specifically asked by someone to quote a price for Monsignor Noel Trainor, and then some bets rolled in. He was formally announced on Friday as new Bishop.

Francis said...

Fr. Ray,

What were Paddy Power's odds for Joseph Ratzinger being elected pope?

That's the acid test of the bookie's crystal ball.

Sadie Vacantist said...

Francis ~ Paddy Power was more accurate than CNN's John Allen (Ratzinger's appalling biographer) and most of the other liberal illuminati who predicted a long conclave or at least a more liberal papacy.

Brendan ~ the "Irish Catholic" story implies insider trading which proves, if nothing else, we are a Church of sinners.

I agree that speculation in respect of the next appointment is meaningless. It's obvious that they could not find a successor to Hume last time and they are stuck again. With parishes closing down everywhere, I remain unconvinced that the Westminster succession is that significant an issue.

JARay said...

It is to be hoped that such bettings as this generate nothing at all.

JARay

Anonymous said...

I second your comment John. I think such 'bets' are inappropriate.

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe Fr. Finigan's name isn't on the list.

Anonymous said...

This is as much chance of Finigan going to Westminster as there is of Ian Paisley going to Lourdes.

The Lord’s descent into the underworld

At Matins/the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday the Church gives us this 'ancient homily', I find it incredibly moving, it is abou...